04 — Private Cloud
Google scans your files. Dropbox trains AI on your documents. Microsoft reads your emails. Stop renting storage from companies that treat your business data as their product — and own the infrastructure outright.
Serving Fort Myers, Naples, Cape Coral & Southwest Florida
The Real Cost of Big Tech Cloud
Consumer and business cloud platforms come with hidden costs that only appear once you are already dependent on them.
Google's Terms of Service grant them a worldwide license to use your content. Dropbox's AI features scan and index your files. Microsoft reads email content for advertising. Your confidential business documents are their training data.
Google formats, Microsoft proprietary sync protocols, Dropbox's opaque API — every platform is engineered to make leaving painful. When you finally want out, your data is scattered across formats you don't fully control and workflows your team has forgotten how to do manually.
Google Workspace has raised prices multiple times since 2022. Dropbox Business jumped 38% in a single renewal cycle. Microsoft 365 added mandatory Copilot seats. Every year you stay, you pay more — with no negotiating power and no alternative built.
Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, and Dropbox Dash all learn from your documents by default. Your contracts, client data, pricing strategies, and internal memos feed AI models that serve your competitors too. Opt-out settings are buried and frequently reset on updates.
HIPAA requires a signed Business Associate Agreement and full control over PHI access logs. PCI-DSS requires knowing exactly where cardholder data resides. Consumer cloud platforms store your data in jurisdictions you cannot audit, on servers shared with thousands of other businesses.
Google had 14 major outages in 2023. Microsoft 365 went down for nine hours in a single incident affecting millions of businesses. When your cloud provider goes down, your entire team goes down with it — and you have zero recourse and zero warning.
What You Get
A complete self-hosted file infrastructure built for your team, maintained by us, owned entirely by you.
Your own Dropbox-equivalent running on infrastructure you control. Files sync automatically to desktop, mobile, and web — identical experience, zero surveillance.
AES-256 encryption at rest, TLS 1.3 in transit. Only your team holds the keys. We configure encryption so that even we cannot read your files without your credentials.
Native apps for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. Web interface from any browser. Remote access over your private VPN or public HTTPS — your choice.
Every file version backed up to geographically separate storage on a schedule you define. 30-day version history by default. Restoration tested monthly, not just assumed.
Shared folders, granular permissions, real-time collaborative document editing, built-in calendar and contacts sync, and team chat — without a per-user monthly bill.
Accidentally deleted a file three weeks ago? We configure granular version history so you can restore any file to any point in time. No support ticket required.
Cost & Control Comparison
A direct comparison across the factors that actually matter for Southwest Florida businesses.
| Factor | Private Cloud (Vision Tech) | Google Workspace | Dropbox Business |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 users / month | ~$120–180 flat | $120–150 | $150 |
| 25 users / month | ~$120–180 flat | $300–375 | $375 |
| 50 users / month | ~$120–180 flat | $600–750 | $750 |
| Data ownership | 100% — yours | Google's ToS applies | Dropbox ToS applies |
| Privacy / data scanning | Zero — keys are yours | Scanned for AI + ads | Dash AI indexes all files |
| Vendor lock-in | None — open source stack | High | High |
| HIPAA compliance | Full BAA, audit logs | BAA available (Enterprise) | BAA available (Business+) |
| PCI-DSS readiness | Configurable, auditable | Limited visibility | Limited visibility |
| Customization | Full — any integration | Google ecosystem only | Dropbox ecosystem only |
| Price increases | Infrastructure cost only | Repeated year-over-year | Repeated year-over-year |
| Backup destination | Your own — tested monthly | Google's servers | Dropbox's servers |
| Downtime dependency | Independent — you stay up | Google outage = you're down | Dropbox outage = you're down |
Pricing based on published rates as of Q1 2026. Google Workspace Business Starter $12/user, Business Standard $15/user. Dropbox Business $15/user. Private cloud estimate includes managed VPS + monitoring + support — fixed regardless of headcount.
Migration Path
Every migration we run follows a proven process. Your team keeps working throughout — there is no "go live day" that breaks everything.
Phase 1
Audit & Inventory
We inventory every file share, shared drive, cloud folder, and synced location your team currently uses. We identify what is actively used, what is dormant, and what compliance requirements apply. No surprises during migration.
Phase 2
Infrastructure Build
We provision and harden your private cloud infrastructure — containerized, monitored, and backed up before a single file is moved. SSL certificates, DNS, storage volumes, and user accounts are configured and tested in isolation first.
Phase 3
Parallel Migration
Files are migrated in batches while your team continues using the old system. We run both systems simultaneously until every department has confirmed their data is intact and accessible on the new platform. Nothing is deleted from the old system until you say so.
Phase 4
Team Onboarding
Desktop and mobile client installation is automated. We run a short walkthrough session — most teams are fully productive within a morning. The interface is intentionally familiar: it works like Dropbox, because we build it to.
Phase 5
Monitor & Hand Off
We monitor storage capacity, backup health, sync errors, and security events. You choose: ongoing managed service with us handling everything, or a clean handoff with full documentation so your own team can run it. Either way, you own the infrastructure completely.
FAQ
Straight answers to the questions we get before every engagement.
Private cloud hosting means your files live on infrastructure you own or control — not on Google's, Microsoft's, or Dropbox's servers. With Google Drive, Google can access, scan, and use your data for AI training. With a private cloud, the encryption keys are yours. Nobody else can touch your files. You get the same anywhere-access experience, but with complete data ownership and zero surveillance.
Private cloud is significantly better positioned for HIPAA compliance than consumer cloud services. Because you control the infrastructure, you can sign a Business Associate Agreement, enforce access controls, maintain detailed audit logs, and implement encryption at rest and in transit — all HIPAA requirements. Consumer cloud services like Dropbox Business and Google Workspace require their own BAA processes and still route data through third-party servers you cannot fully audit.
Private cloud has a higher upfront setup cost but dramatically lower ongoing costs as your team grows. Google Workspace charges per user per month — at 25 users that is $300–$375/month, at 50 users it is $600–$750/month. Private cloud infrastructure is a fixed monthly cost regardless of how many users you add. Most teams break even within 12–18 months and then save substantially every year after that.
Every private cloud deployment we build is fully documented and designed to run independently. Your data is on hardware you own (or a VPS under your name), with standard open-source software. If you ever part ways with us, you keep everything — the data, the infrastructure, and the documentation. You are never dependent on our continued involvement to access your own files. This is the opposite of vendor lock-in.
Ready to Own Your Data
In one call, you'll know exactly what it would cost to move your team off Dropbox or Google Drive — and what you'd save over three years. No commitment required.
Fort Myers FL · Private cloud hosting for Southwest Florida businesses with 10–100 employees.